There are two major unsolved problems in the field of antimicrobials: how to develop effective approaches to combat drug-resistant pathogens; and how to treat chronic infections tolerant to antimicrobials. Although drug resistance is a formidable challenge, there at least exists an arsenal of antibiotics, both currently in use and in various stages of the drug development pipeline, which can be used against a variety of pathogenic bacteria. Nevertheless, there remains a significant need for new types of antibiotics for use against emerging drug resistance in bacterial populations.
Unfortunately, the situation with regard to treatment of chronic infections tolerant to antibiotics is very different. Antibiotics are typically effective because of cooperation with the immune system. For example, an antibiotic can eliminate most of the pathogen population or simply stop growth, and then immune system completes the eradication of the infectious bacterial population. This does not work when an exopolymer matrix restricts access of the immune system to the pathogen within a biofilm. The result is a chronic infection, requiring treatment with multiple antibiotics over the course of months to years, accompanied by significant morbidity and mortality. These include endocarditis, osteomyelitis, cystic fibrosis, deep-seated infections, infections of indwelling devices, and dental diseases.
Moreover, all communities of cells produce persisters, dormant variants of the wild type that are tolerant to most antibiotics (Lewis, K. Ann. Rev. Microbiol. (2010) 64:357-372). A lingering chronic infection maintains a large effective population size, favoring development of resistance (Levin, B. R. & Rozen, D. E. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. (2006) 4:556-562) Finding countermeasures against persisters is a considerable unmet need in addressing infectious diseases, and success in finding countermeasures will be significant not only for treatment of chronic infections, but for stemming the spread of resistance as well.
Despite advances in antimicrobial research, there remains a significant need for antibiotic compounds that are potent and effective for the treatment of diseases associated with infection by gram positive and gram negative bacteria. There is also particular need for antimicrobials combating resistant bacterial strains and for use in treatment of chronic infections, including those associated with biofilm populations comprising dormant persister cells tolerant to currently available antimicrobials. These needs and other needs are satisfied by the present invention.